Every Arizona Football All-American in history: Cornerbacks Darryll Lewis and Chris McAlister
By Mason Duhon
Darryll Lewis
Lewis played for Arizona from 1987-90 and finished his career tied for the third-most interceptions in Arizona history with 14. He was the second Arizona Football player after Ricky Hunley to earn a unanimous All-American nod and is one of just two Arizona Football players to win the Jim Thorpe Award for the nation's top defensive back.
After spending his freshman season as a running back on the Arizona roster, he moved to defense in his sophomore year and never looked back. He grabbed two interceptions in 1988 and more than doubled it the next year with five picks as a junior.
It came to a head in 1990, when he hauled in seven interceptions — tied for second in the nation — and returned two of them for touchdowns — tied for first in the nation. One of the pick-sixes sealed a 28-21 win over UCLA, and he can also claim responsibility for the win against Oregon where he stopped quarterback Bill Musgrave short of the end zone on the game's final play.
Besides the Jim Thorpe Award and unanimous All-American nod, Lewis was also understandably named the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors, capping off a stellar Arizona career. He spent 10 years in the NFL after being drafted in the second round of the 1991 draft by the Houston Oilers before retiring in 2001.